Electric switch



July 31, 1934. h B. F. MULDON ELECTRIC SWITCH Filed June 8, 1928 INVENTOR Patented July 31, 1934 UNITED uST-.XTE'S ELECTRIC SWITCH I"Bernard FQMuldoon,"Mountainview, "Nj J., as-

"signor to Henry Hyman, Broklyn,"N.` Y

Application June `8, 1928, SerialNo.- 283,778

2" Claims. (CL 200-60) This invention relates-to an electric switch that is especially useful in connection with flash lights. By this invention an electric switch is provided so that the danger of a switch closing by accident and exhausting the battery is eliminated. At the same time the switch can be used to produce momentary flashes or to produce a permanent light as long as needed. The device is easily operated merely by pushing with the thumb, for example, so as to release the safety catch and light the lamp without requiring a skilled operator.

The invention will be understood from the description in connection with the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section through the device; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same; Fig. 3 is a section along the line 3 3 of Fig. l; and Fig. 4 is a plan view on an enlarged scale partly broken away, showing some of the details. In the drawing reference character 1 indicates the casing of a iiash light which casing may be made of insulating material. A switch housing 2 is mounted upon the casing and is attached thereto by means of the rivets 3. The top 4 of the casing is depressed or sunken, leaving a rim 5 all around the edge of the top of the housing. A push button 6 of the well known sort extends through a hole 7 in the top 4 and is attached to the top by means of the spring 8, one end of which is connected to the push button 6 and the other end is connected to the lower side of the top 4.

A sliding thumb piece 10 is mounted along the top side of the top 4 between the sides of the rim 5 and is provided with a rearward extension l1 so that when the user presses the thumb piece 10 forwardly with the thumb, the fleshy part of the thumb will naturally rest upon the extension 11.

The top 4 of the housing is provided near the rear end with a notch 12 and it is also provided with a pair of longitudinal slots 13 as well as a central slot 14 that may be shorter than the slots 13 and parallel thereto.

An extension 15 on a lower side of the thumb piece 10 or extension ll projects through the slot 14 and slides longitudinally of the slot as the thumb piece is moved backwards and forwards. Two other extensions 16 on the thumb piece 10 or extension 11 project through the slots 13 and the ends thereof are bent around and clamped to the lower side of a spring contact 17, notches 18, as most clearly shown in Fig. 4, being provided in the edges of the spring 17 for this purpose and also to prevent the spring from sliding longitudinally with respect to the extensions 16. l`The' spring 17 isprovided with a detent v19 with a'hstraight 'face on one lside and a sloping face on the other side, this detent being adapted to snap into the notch 12 for a purpose to be explained below. The extensions 16 attached to the spring 17 provide a sort of fulcrum for the thumb piece 10, and the extension 15 projecting through the slot 14 contacts with the upper side of the spring 17 between the notched portion 18 and the detent 19 so that downward pressure upon the extension 11 will cause the thumb piece 10 to turn slightly about its fulcrum and the projection 15 to press the detent 19 out of the notch 12. The portion of the spring 17 beyond the detent 19 is bent backwards and so shaped that it will slide along the casing 1 as indicated at 20 to tend to keep the detent 19 pressed into the notch 12.

The other end of the spring 17 opposite the end 20 is bent backwards and also presses against the casing 1 as indicated at 21. This bent portion of the spring is provided with a rounded or upwardly curved section 22 or it may be provided with a hole at this portion so that when this end of the spring is pressed downward by means of the push button 6, it will not contact with a terminal 23 in certain positions of the spring 17. The terminal 23 may be connected by the connector 24 to the electric lamp (not shown) in the casing and the housing 2 may be connected by the connector 25 to the battery, the remainder of the electric circuit being made in any of the well known ways.

The operation is as follows: When the parts are in the safety position indicated in Fig. 1, 90 the circuit cannot be closed by pushing the push button 6 as the rounded portion 22 of the spring 17 prevents this spring from contacting with the terminal 23 however far that end of the spring 17 may be pushed downwardly. Also, 95 pressure against the thumb piece 10 does not advance the spring 17 to the position where contact between it and the terminal 23 could be made unless the detent 19 is first released from the notch 12. The release of the detent 19 will not be eiected accidentally because the upwardly extending rim 5 projects slightly above the extension 11 so that this rim prevents any cross member or other object from moving the extension 11 downwardly to release the detent 19 from the notch 12. Even when the detent 19 is released by pressure upon the extension 1l there is no possibility of the circuit being closed by pressing upon the push button 6 unless longitudinal pressure exerted upon the thumb piece 10 l-lO moves the spring 17 longitudinally to the proper position. For these reasons the position of the parts shown in Fig. 1 is called the safety position. However, one can by means of the thumb simultaneously very easily press the extension 11 downwardly to release the detent 19 and move the thumb piece 10 and spring 17 forward. A slight forward movement of the spring 17 by this operation carries the same into such a position that it does not contact with the terminal 23 to close the circuit. In this position the push button 6 can be pushed down to make flash Contact. A further forward movement of the spring 17 by forward pressure upon the thumb piece lo moves the spring 17 a suicient distance forward so that it makes contact with the terminal 23 without pressing down the push button 6 so that the lamp is lighted as long as the spring 17 is in that position. The switch can be very easily opened, merely by pulling the thumb piece lO'back a slight distance, and when it is pulled all the way back, the detent 19 snaps `inwardly projecting tongue, a slidable spring contact in said housing having a shoulder to catch against said tongue, a thumb piece outside said housing connected to said spring Contact, and an extension on said thumb piece having a pro- 'jection thereon which contacts with said spring contact at a distance from the connection of said vthumb piece thereto to release said shoulder from said tongue.

BERNARD F. MULDOON. 

